A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Aqueous Extract of Echium amoenum for Patients with General Anxiety Disorder

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of the aqueous extract of Echium amoenum in combination with SSRIs in patients with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The study was an 8-week double-blind randomized clinical trial. Thirty-seven adult outpatients who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for GAD based on the structured clinical interview participated in the trial. In this study, patients were randomly assigned to receive the aqueous extract (500 mg) plus fluoxetine or fluoxetine (20 mg/day) plus placebo. The results showed significant difference between the two groups in the treatment of GAD. Moreover, there was not any significant difference between the two groups in terms of observed side effects. E. amoenum is effective on anxiety disorder, especially in higher dosage, without any serious side effects.